Storm Callum swept through the country overnight, bringing heavy rain and strong, gusty winds. Thousands of people are waking up to power outages and travel disruption, particularly in the west and south. A status orange warning remains in place until 5 pm in Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Clare.
Meanwhile, an orange warning for Dublin, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath and Waterford will remain in place until 9 am. The rest of the country is under a status yellow warning until 9 am too.
Power outages
ESB Networks has reported large power outages in counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Kilkenny and Dublin. There are also people without power in Mayo, Donegal and Cavan. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland radio programme, Paul Hand at ESB Networks said, “We have 30,000 homes and businesses without power at this stage; we do anticipate that to increase.
“Crews stand ready in all areas of the country,” he added, “and they will be deployed when it is ready to do so. It may well be into midmorning or the afternoon before crews can begin repairs in the west.”
Travel disruption
Photo: Irish Rail
Rail
There is also widespread travel disruption this morning as a result of last night’s storm. Irish Rail tweeted earlier that significant leaf fall has led to “low rail adhesion” on the Maynooth line, causing delays. They added services to Dundalk/Drogheda and Belfast are currently suspended due to a tree blocking the line at Donabate. Services into Dublin City Centre are unaffected, and a crew is on their way to remove the tree.
Debris on the overhead power lines at Bayside meant no DARTs could operate between Howth and Howth Jct earlier this morning, but crews are working to remove it and services will resume soon. DART services are also suspended between Bray and Graystones due to a points failure.
Roads
The
AA Roadwatch team have reported many trees down throughout the country; blocking roads and causing delays. Below is a list of current blockages:
- Tipperary: A fallen tree is completely blocking the Clonmel Rd (R689) about 1.5km outside Killenaule, and a tree is down on the Old N7 (R445).
- Wicklow: Tree down outside Barndarrig.
- Meath: The Dublin Rd (R132) is blocked just outside Drogheda at the Southgate SC R/A due to a fallen tree. Gardai advise caution on the N51 between Navan and Slane due to fallen branches and debris.
- Cork: The Cobh/Fota Rd (R624) is closed at Carrigaloe due to a mudslide. There are reports of a fallen tree and electrical pole partially blocking Centre Park Road inbound.
- Galway: Grattan Road in Salthill is closed between Mutton Island and The Promenade. Lough Atalia Road is closed from the College Road junction to The Docks, and there is no access to Eyre Square South, Victoria Place, Queen Street and the Dock Road.
Flights
Are Lingus has said, “A number of flights on our European network have been cancelled on Friday 12th October due to Storm Callum. Please check flight status before travelling to the airport.” Other than that, Dublin Airport says it is operating as normal this morning; with the storm not having a significant impact on operations.
What’s more, Shannon Airport confirmed, “There was only one flight disruption overnight due to Storm Callum which resulted in Ryanair FR 1349 from Fuerteventura diverting to Dublin and passengers transferred by road to Shannon. As some passengers may experience delays to their schedule this morning, the airport continues to advise all intending passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport.”
Schools
The decision to close schools today lies with each school’s Board of Management, as the impact of the storm has varied in each part of the country. Contact your local school for more information.
Photo: MET Éireann